[ohdannyboy]

Church I understand because they often function like a small-town community, but unions?

Maybe I'm missing something because I'm also not sure what your reply has to do with mine.

[Apocryphon]

Robert Putnam discusses the decline of unions leading to disconnections in the workplace in Bowling Alone, chapter 5. Though certainly, the alienation between workers accompanies other forms of atomization in American society, and is more of yet another effect than a cause.